Sara Ahmed’s article “Killing Joy: Feminism and the History of Happiness,” and Hermann Hesse’s novel "Siddhartha," both focus on the process of striving for ultimate happiness. Both the article and the book exemplify these beliefs by exploring the obstacles one must overcome within the journey of the good life as well as presenting differing ideas towards the roles of other people during the process of attaining the good life through several examples. Both Ahmed and Hesse claim that achieving the good life involves accepting unhappiness towards things or events that are believed to cause joy. Ahmed claims that there is “unhappiness in the history of happiness,” for guarantees of happiness lead people to believe that they should experience contentment during certain moments or as a result of particular objects (Ahmed 573). She illustrates this belief by discussing a woman who is unhappy on her wedding day, or the “happiest day of your life;” consequently, Ahmed explains that people experience unhappiness and feel like something is wrong when they fail to feel happy during such predetermined happy occasions (Ahmed 581). Hesse also depicts this theory in Siddhartha. The protagonist, Siddartha, appears to possess all of the traits every man should want, for he is a handsome, scholarly Brahmin who has mastered all of the religious rituals; however, although he has everything that most men believe is necessary for happiness, Siddartha feels deeply dissatisfied with his life and yearns to find a stronger spiritual meaning. His refusal to accept the traditional limitations presented by his surrounding society demonstrate his power to overcome the preconceived notions of happiness that act as obstacles in the pursuit of the good life. Ahmed and Hesse differed in their views on attaining happiness through the happiness of others. Ahmed states that “Happiness involves both reciprocal forms of aspiration (I am happy for you,